Rep. Defensor to Filipinos: Intently monitor development of impeachment

MANILA, Philippines — Iloilo 3rd District Rep. Lorenz Defensor has appealed to Filipinos to closely monitor the developments surrounding Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, saying it could set a precedent for how accountability is demanded from high-ranking officials in the future.

Defensor made the statement on Tuesday amid expectations that the Senate, once the 20th Congress opens its session on July 28, may immediately decide whether or not to proceed with the impeachment trial.

According to Defensor, an outright dismissal of the articles of impeachment would be a blow to efforts to uphold accountability, warning that it might embolden future officials to escape consequences if complaints are easily junked.

“Every Filipino should watch this impeachment, let us monitor it because this is for the people,” Defensor, a member of the House of Representatives’ prosecution team, told reporters partly in Filipino.

“And in the future, should we have a leader that is inherently evil, and they say we can dismiss the impeachment, which is a mechanism placed to remove bad leaders from the country, people will see that such an outcome should not happen — it shouldn’t be that easy to evade impeachment under the Constitution,” Defensor said mostly in Filipino.

It was Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri who earlier raised the possibility of the impeachment being tackled on the first session day of the 20th Congress — hours before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s fourth State of the Nation Address.

Defensor noted that statements like these from senators may lead the public to anticipate a dismissal even before the trial formally starts.

“It cannot be avoided that their statements will be interpreted as telegraphing a dismissal early on before the trial starts,” he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

“It affects the people’s perception of how the case will go about and how the trial will proceed. It’s telegraphing how they want the case to be decided early on even before the evidence is presented,” he added.

Aside from his remarks on the trial’s possible schedule, Zubiri also previously described the impeachment as a “witch-hunt,” claiming that some people want Duterte removed from office to clear the way for others to assume the vice presidency or to eliminate opponents in the 2028 presidential race.

Zubiri clarified that while he believes the trial must proceed under the 1987 Constitution, he personally views the impeachment as a political maneuver. “To remove her from public service,” he said, “so that others will sit on the vice presidential post, or to eliminate opponents for the 2028 presidential race.”

However, Zubiri later emphasized that he would set aside his personal views and follow the constitutional process.

“But I will set that aside. I’ll set my bias aside because we have to follow the process. That is the process of the Constitution, it cannot be changed. If we violate that, then we violate our oath of office when we say that we will defend and protect the Constitution of the Republic of the Philippines. So definitely, we have to do what is right here.”

Defensor said senator-judges in Duterte’s impeachment trial must hear and discuss the evidence before branding the process a witch-hunt, calling such statements “unbecoming” of senators who are expected to remain neutral and impartial.

READ: Rep. Defensor slams witch-hunt claims in Sara Duterte impeach trial

Meanwhile, Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, in a separate interview, said it was her — not Duterte — who was subjected to a witch-hunt by the previous administration, which filed what she called baseless drug-related charges during the term of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

Vice President Duterte was impeached after 215 lawmakers signed the fourth impeachment complaint, which was based on allegations of confidential fund misuse, threats to high-ranking officials, and other possible constitutional violations.

The articles of impeachment were transmitted to the Senate on the same day, as the 1987 Constitution mandates a trial to commence if at least one-third of the House — or 102 out of 306 members — endorse the complaint.

READ: House impeaches Sara Duterte, fast-tracking transmittal to Senate

However, the proceedings have faced delays. During the election break, the Senate did not act on the articles, which were not presented to the plenary before adjournment.

Initially, then-Senate President Francis Escudero sent a letter to then-House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez inviting the prosecution team to read the articles before the Senate plenary on June 2, when Congress resumed its session.

The reading was later moved to June 11, the last session day of the 19th Congress. On June 10, the Senate convened as an impeachment court but ultimately voted to remand the articles to the House. /jpv